


Leaves are Falling (and so am I)

by A_Confused_Kitten



Series: Brothers in Arms [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Team Bonding, Team Fluff, Team Mustang adopts the Elrics, me making a sad episode more sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 20:49:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15849108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Confused_Kitten/pseuds/A_Confused_Kitten
Summary: The weight of his discovery hit him like an earthquake and he was at the metaphorical center of the destruction.The door to the inner part of the office opened with a fluid gesture and the Colonel and his Luitenant stood in the doorway, eyes dark and stormy. It finally was clear to Ed why he wasn't told of the General's passing until after the fact.Team Mustang was falling apart at the seams and Ed was the one to rip open the first stitch. He sent Hughes down the path that ended with a red-stained picture of a perfect family and a gunshot echoing from an otherwise silent phonebooth. Something snapped deep within him because oh God another person had gone down in flames because a stupid boy had attempted the impossible. The Taboo. The unforgivable sin.---Can be read as a prequel to the Brothers in Arms 'verse, or by itself.





	Leaves are Falling (and so am I)

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, two things released in a day! So this is my first fic for the FMA fandom plus me messing around with a new style, so hopefully its somewhat decent. Enjoy, ya'll!

_It's getting colder and so is my heart._

_It's getting darker and so are my thoughts._

_The leaves are falling and so am I._

_Falling._

_(apart)_

-b.o.

* * *

 He'd always wondered about just what caused Mustang's team to be so, well, connected.

He didn't find out until the day Lie- Brigadier General Maes Hughes was murdered. Fuery was the one to tell him, his warm and optimistic features turning cold and grey.

_ "Hughes? Ed, they found him dead nearly a week ago. Ro- Mustang and Hawkeye have been investigating the incident almost nonstop." _

Ed burst into the Colonel's office, greeted by an unfamiliar glint in Havoc, Breda, and Falman's eyes. It was clear that the office was grieving. No lively game of cards or playful teasing. The weight of his discovery hit him like an earthquake and he was at the center of the destruction.

The door to the inner part of the office opened with a fluid gesture and the Colonel and his Lieutenant stood in the doorway, eyes dark and stormy. It was finally clear to Ed why he hadn’t been told of the General's passing until after the fact.

Team Mustang was falling apart at the seams and Ed was the one to rip open the first stitch. He sent Hughes down the path that ended with a red-stained picture of a perfect family and a gunshot echoing from an otherwise silent phonebooth. Something snapped deep within him because  _ oh God  _ another person had gone down in flames because a stupid boy had attempted the impossible. The Taboo. The unforgivable sin.

The People's Alchemist, that's what they called him. As if he was any better than the military's dogs. People had crashed and burned and _  crashed and burned _  and  _ crashedandburned _  under his hand, just like Mustang and Kimblee and Basque.

Ed suddenly found himself surrounded by warm arms and a sea of navy blue. Colonel Mustang, he realized absently. The Colonel held him and rubbed gentle circles against his back.   He spoke softly, his words a comforting mantra, but Ed couldn't tell whether it was directed to himself or the man who held him. 

"It's not your fault, Ed. No one here blames you. He died fighting for your cause, to help people. Any other way," Mustang chuckled bitterly, the sound echoing with unspoken words and tales of past moments, "well, anything else and it wouldn't have been Maes."

-Somewhere in his mind, he connected this sort of action, the comforting words, the firm hand, and feeling of safety to that of a father's embrace.  For once, the word didn't taste bitter on his tongue.-

The dam broke under the earthquake's force and a muffled sob escaped without his permission, followed by another and another until he was sobbing into Mustang's chest. He stood in the middle of Mustang's office, vision obscured by the man's dark coat, desperately clinging to the alchemist he'd only ever thought of as a manipulative, selfish bastard.

He'd realized someone - _ Hawkeye? _ -  ran their nimble fingers through his hair, gently fixing loose strands of his braid and softly pressing into his aching head. Feathery touches danced over his scalp with a practiced ease. Ed melted into Hawkeye's firm grasp -the thought linked with his limited memories with his mother, bringing more tears to his amber eyes.- __ and the quake slowed to a tremble.

Two pairs of calloused hands patiently pried him out of Mustang's protective hold and Ed found himself looking into Breda and Havoc's warm gazes. Breda leaned forward and ruffled his hair, undermining the Lieutenant's previous efforts. "None of us think it was your fault, boss. We all miss him, and none of us are about to let his murder go unsolved."

Havoc mussed his hair even more, and Ed heard Hawkeye scoff from her place at Mustang's side. "It'll be alright, Chief. It may not feel like it right now, but it will get better." Havoc placed a firm hand on Ed's shoulder and spoke again. "Trust me, Kid, it will."

Fuery pulled Ed into a hug, tight and comforting, then stepped back. He offered him an encouraging smile, frayed around the edges, but welcoming nevertheless. "You don't have to mourn on your own. Everyone here has their demons, but that doesn't change anything. Roy and Riza may seem threatening at first, but they'll listen to anything you ever need to get off your chest."

When the final member of Mustang's crew approached him, no words were spoken; Falman's eyes spoke more than simple words could ever convey. Warmth and compassion and silent apologies and praises were exchanged as gold met silver.

Ed took a moment and finally saw what the rest of the room's occupants had seen without a hint of doubt. 

In Roy Mustang's charcoal gaze he saw pride and confidence in the people he’d chosen for his team. He found complete trust in the people he held closest to his heart and if Ed looked deeper, he saw the ruins of Ishval that haunted the almost black eyes.

In Riza Hawkeye's mahogany eyes he found care and a mother's warmth. There's was an odd look of protection that took him a moment to place, and a promise never to leave anyone in this room in danger, a never fading alertness gained from war.

In Jean Havoc's sky-filled optics he found a familiar brotherly love and faith. Faith that nothing short of death will cause this team, no, this  _ family,  _ to go up in irreplaceable flames. He saw jokes and games and harmless mischief and wondered how he ever missed it.

In Kain Fuery's almond eyes he saw boundless curiosity. He remembered Granny Pinako's words as he found an eager thirst for information and the knowledge of how to turn deadly devices into harmless little toys.

In Heyman Breda's grey eyes he saw hidden intellect worthy of any intelligence officer. He saw maturity and wisdom that couldn't have been gained in peaceful conflict, yet playfulness and humor that showed in his upturned lips.

In Vato Falman's silver eyes he found possibilities and "what-ifs?" and details beyond measure. He saw a protective caution that bordered the line between hesitation and preparation, the balance never tipping one way or another.

They're Mustang's team, Ed thought with a small grin. His pack, torn apart and sewn together a million times over. They lost one of their own, he realized.  A pair of olive green eyes forced to the forefront of his mind for barely a split second before he shoved the image away. The same glint of Maes' eyes was so clear in the eyes of Mustang’s team that Ed wondered how he ever missed it.

Suddenly, everything clicked and for a brief moment, his mind was numb.  Then it hit him. It hit him like a mad storm and left him reeling.

He was a part of the pack, of Team Mustang or whatever you wanted to call it. The thought sent a jolt through his chest and Ed relished the feeling. He was drawn to it like a moth to a flame and for the first time since Ed left Resembol, he let himself relax in the company of this pack of stray dogs.

 


End file.
